sician for other practical advice. Sham ing, however, only creates greater prob lems far worse than bed wetting. This is true with sucking the thumb. In persistent cases it can affect the contour of the teeth. I have been teach ing college and university for a good many years and have never seen a boy or girl in a college class sucking his knuckle. They usually get over it and we ought to exercise patience. Those of us who are Christians and want our children to live circumspect lives some times ought to fall over backwards to give them an appreciation of our love. King David wailed and wailed when Absolom was killed. He said, “Would to God I had died for you Absolom.” Scripture tells us he wouldn’t let his son even come into his presence at times; he continually ostrasized him. A child doesn’t want you to die for him, dear parent. He wants you to live for him! Do we let the child have encourage ment and the money it needs? There is a danger in being stingy as well as in being overly indulgent. If we teach the child that authority is under the Lord, then he understands that we are not the sovereign judge but simply standing in the place of our Lord for the instruction, blessing and guidance of his life. This is our most important calling and this is the reason why God gave children parents. Chapter Fourteen W e must never forget that the chief instructors of a child should be the father and mother. We are responsible for the guidance of our children in the ordinary things of life. We must give them ample and satis factory explanations of their physical bodies. We instruct them in the proper kinds of values: cultural, moral and eternal. We are grateful for all that public schools and churches do. However, the obligation rests upon us to instruct 17
ing at your children. Teach them that all glory is unto the Lord and that you are under Christ’s authority, even as they are under you.
Chapter Thirteen P robably the most important aspect of discipline is that we ought to be consistent. That means we ought to say what we mean and mean what we say. We ought to teach them that whining gets them nothing. We ought to seek the guidance of the Holy Spirit day after day to make us sweet, filling us with the fruits of love, joy, peace, long-suffering, gentleness, kindness, goodness, self-control, and fidelity. We ought not to over-correct our children but to show them that all au thority is unto the Lord. I have heard some parents say, “I don’t know what I’m going to do with the child. I don’t know whatever’s going to become of him.” In this way you have killed all hope. The child ought to have your confidence if he is going to achieve anything. The Lord called Simon Peter a rock. Now, he was anything but a rock, however, the Lord gave him con fidence in himself. A little child lives in hope and we must be very careful not to destroy this trust in us as well as in himself. In one school the teacher, the princi pal, even the school psychologist were perplexed over the problem of a young boy. The doctor finally discovered that the trouble was in the mother’s correc tive habits. The little child had not stopped wetting the bed and his mother was shaming him day after day with such foolish chants as, “You’re a baby, you’re a baby! I’m going to put dia pers on you!” By fighting all the other children at school he showed that he was no “baby.” The psychologist could give some good help in this case. What can be done positively to help the child? First, guard that it doesn’t have an abundance of fluids in late afternoon and evening. Go to your family phy
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